to till or not to till

Till, and never look back. At least when starting a new garden space. The sod has been removed, and taking advantage of the mild weather and a friend's gracious loan of his roto-tiller, the new growing space is cultivated. To my surprise and delight, the soil seems much more workable than anticipated, i.e. not as laden with heavy clay. We'll still take some steps to loosen the soil a bit by adding some gypsum and topsoil. Weather permitting, tomorrow will see the incorporation of a yard of compost, the mineral amendments and about a yard of topsoil to begin the process of building the soil. When starting out, cultivation seems unavoidable, but the inclusion of simultaneously sown cover crops and regular (yearly) additions of kitchen-scrap compost and green manures, we embark on an experiment in soil building that should reduce the amount of tilling or cultivation required in subsequent seasons. Here goes everything.